


DanganronpaX -- A Last Resort

by pebble (snailshell)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: As a reminder, Bad Writing, Fanganronpa, Other, So many OCs, Whoops I Became Attached, atka (the protagonist) has been isolated all his life, for like. the first 5k ish words, please bear with me, please dont judge him too harshly, this is a fucking TRIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23027023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snailshell/pseuds/pebble
Summary: Atka Ishii, native to Alaska, woke up in a hot spring on an unknown island. There, he meets 16 other people, all teenagers. They were placed there by a black and white bear, accompanied by a white and black bird.What could possibly go wrong?(Spoiler: everything.)
Relationships: Category is set to other BC all of that is in here at some point, OC/OC





	DanganronpaX -- A Last Resort

**Author's Note:**

> howdy!
> 
> so let me preface this by saying that i wrote around half of this in 2017. which for me, was sixth-seventh year. so, i'm saying this right out the gate, i apologize! also! some of the formatting is wonky so. please bear with that!;;
> 
> anyways warnings!
> 
> murder, mentions of kinks, swearing, swearing in french, racism, transphobia, homophobia (for later chapters), and more if i need to add them!
> 
> stay safe, and have fun reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? It's chaotic.

“H-Hello? I-Is this thing on?”

The PA system resounded throughout the library. He, the protagonist of this game, looked up, as did every other student.

“C-Can C-Class please come to the h-headmaster’s office?”

Everyone looked towards him, our main character. He was in that class.

It had been a month since the first day of school at **Kaika Bara Academy.** Little did our protagonist know that, when he reached the doors of the headmaster’s office, when he opened those oak and birch doors, he wouldn't be seeing the headmaster. He wouldn’t be seeing **hope,** he wouldn’t be seeing **despair…**

**He would be staring at the swirls separating cowardice and courage.**

—

**You--** Nnh… what… happened?

_I say groggily to what appears to be no one. I reluctantly get up from the warm stone floor I was slumped on. Arching my back, I look around and spot no one, as I assumed, and I also observe that I’m around a hot springs. Another thing I observe? I am warm. Too warm._

**You--** [Sweating] Nnnnhh… why, oh why, did I have to wear my jacket and scarf combo today?

_I spot an exit in the background, so, like any normal person who **lives in Alaska** , I head towards it._

_Oh, I should’ve brought this up earlier. My name is **Atka Ishii** , and I‘m the **Super High School Level Roboticist.**_

****

**\-- ATKA ISHII - S.H.S.L. ROBOTICIST --**

_I’m a student at Kaika Bara Academy, where the best of the best (or the worst) go to study their chosen talent._

_Heading outside the volcano called a ‘Hot Springs’, I look around, and realized that there was an escalator to my left, a vase of flowers in front of me, and people talking in front of the vase, who now turned to me._

**???--** Oh hey, Blue Boy is up.

 **???--** Oh, hey there!

_An overly apathetic guy in olive and an overly enthusiastic guy with orange hair stood in front of me._

_The olive guy had dark skin, or at least, what I could see of it. Most of his face was covered in white bandages. His face and yellow, cat-like eyes were framed by messy black curls and a plain beige cap. Underneath the face, he wore a black undershirt, a metallic collar with a chain leading off of it, that broke off at like the third chain, and surprise, surprise, more bandages covering the rest of the neck. A dark olive coat zipped partially up with a… bigger-than-necessary zipper was covering his wrists to mid-thigh, where dark gray slacks were. He had boots that were ankle-high and had a slight heel on them._

_The orange guy was tan, a ginger, and quite obviously an optimist. He had carrot orange hair in a ponytail separated into… multiple sections. Okay. He had bright orange eyes that were round, and hair framing his face, with the same sectioned look of the ponytail. His mauve turtleneck is under a grayish purple jacket, with a marine badge (purple, of course) pinned to his left breast. He had white jeans that bunched up near the ankle, as well as white gloves. He had plain, dark purple dress shoes as well._

**Orange Guy--** It’s nice ta meet you, mate!

_Orange guy seems to have... an Australian accent?_

**Xavior--** My name is **Xavior Yoxall** , and I’m the **S.H.S.L Underwater Photographer!**

****

**\-- XAVIOR YOXALL - S.H.S.L. UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER --**

**???--** And my name… Is, uh…

 **Z--** I can’t remember. So call me Z, I suppose.

 **Z--** [Adjusts his hat] Can’t remember my talent either.

****

**\-- Z - S.H.S.L. ??? --**

_These are… odd people. Nothing like my… Only friend. Wonder how he’s doing._

 **Atka--** [Yawn] My name is Atka Ishii, and I also have a talent. I’m the S.H.S.L Roboticist, in fact. I’m also still… [Yawn] kinda tired.

 **Atka--** Are there any others here?

 **Z--** Actually, yes. **There are 16 of us, including those present.**

 **Xavior--** Speaking of sixteen others, why don’t you go meet them?

 **Xavior--** [Pointing] The escalator goes alllll the wayyyy down!

_I look down the escalator. There were… **five levels. I think.**_

**Atka--** Well, if I want to make my daily nap, guess I better get going. Bye.

 **Xavior--** See ya later!

 **Z--** Farewell.

_I never would’ve thought that those character archetypes could get together well. Weird, although it’s not like I could talk. I’ve lived in Alaska my whole life, only talking to people on the internet. Mainly for my robot research, although I did look at forums, study Japanese, study the Aleut language, stuff like that. With these thoughts racing through my mind, I head down the escalator, with my back to the two boys, who were conversing about flowers, and the vase. The vase that had white, red, and black roses._

_The next level had a building (apartments?) and a bubble… thing. The bubble was covering what looked to be a garden, and there were two others in the bubble. One had giant pink pigtails, and the other one, who had pastel… yet bright pink and purple hair with a side shaved, was climbing a tree. I decided to crash their party._

**Atka--** Hello? I just woke up, so I… [Yawn] … I don’t know you people.

 **Tree climber--** Yo!

 **Pigtails--** Hello!

_The girl was climbing back down with a smirk on her face, and pigtails was getting off the ground._

_Pigtails was chubby and tall. She was wearing a pastel pink sweater off of her shoulders, and a dark-pink skirt. Her hair was being held together by two clips that looked like hearts, and she had peachy-pink skin. Stockings that had the outdent thingies on the thighs, pink high-heels (how tall does she need to be?), and she was all set. Only thing off-putting about her? Her eyes. They were a bright green and just put me on edge._

_Tree climber was tall, but not taller than Pigtails. Her wavy pink and purple hair covering up blonde roots, and her somehow mauve shaved side added to the aesthetic of “Party Girl”. Along with that aesthetic came a short pink jacket that stopped at her midriff that had no sleeves whatsoever, a dark magenta… bra underneath the jacket, with magenta stripes on the side, hot pink hot pants that had those dealies that swung from the belt loops, and some purple and pink ‘converse’. If that’s what they’re called. Her chest was… how do I describe it? ‘Medium, but more on the large size’? Yeah._

**Tree Climber--** Yo dude, why’re ya starin’ at my tits?

_I was staring? Is it not acceptable?_

_On another note, her voice sounded… Foreign._

**Atka--** I was... [Yaaawwwnn] ...describing you in my head so that when you gave me your name, I could remember it better.

 **Tree Climber--** Psh! You’ll be looking at me a lot, since it looks like we’re **trapped here.**

 **Atka--** Really? We are?

 **Tree Climber--** Mhm! Sucks, doesn’t it? I’ve been looking for an exit pretty much since I woke up, and there’s no fuckin’ exits!

 **Pigtails--** Yep! No **entrances either!**

_Then… How did we get here?_

**Pigtails--** But enough of that!

 **Pigtails--** My name is **Yukimura Tomoki!** I’m the **Super High School Level Relationship Coach!**

****

\-- YUKIMURA TOMOKI - S.H.S.L. RELATIONSHIP COACH --

**Yukimura-- Nice to meet you!**

**Tree Climber-- And my name is **Des Tennison! I’m the best damn **EDM Artist there is!******

************ ** **

**\-- DES TENNISON - S.H.S.L. EDM ARTIST --**

**Des--** Ya’ better not forget it!

_That explains the lack of an accent to her English._

**Atka--** Well, I’m Atka Ishii, and I’m the S.H.S.L. Roboticist. It’s nice to meet you as well.

 **Des--** What sorta’ fuckin’ name is ‘Aht-Kah’?

_Yeesh… She was harsh…_

**Atka--** I’m half Aleut, or Alaskan, so my parents… [Yawn] ...decided to name me Atka, which is an Alaskan name.

 **Des--** [Hands on hips] Hm. Well, it’s still weird either way!

 **Yukimura--** Well, your name is Des.

 **Des--** Shut up!

 **Des--** Fuck you Japanese people! You guys use last names for regular conversation!

 **Yukimura--** [Puffs out cheeks] At least our names sound better, other than stuff like, what, ‘Rose’? ‘Star’? ‘Des’?

 **Des--** Shut up!

 **Des--** We have names that actually mean something!

 **Yukimura--** Oh really?!

_I decided to leave them alone._

_On the other side, there were no people, so I went down the escalator to the next level._

_The next area had more apartments, what seemed to be a telephone booth, and a… post office? Can we send letters and call people here? If we could, that’d be nice. Although, if we are trapped here…_

_But, there are more important matters at hand._

**???--** Goddamnit! Open already!

 **???--** I don’t think you’re going to be able to…

 **???--** Nevermind.

_Voices coming from the inside of the post office (‘MonoxMono Office’?) caught my attention. I went in, the bell on the door jingling._

**Atka--** Hello?

 **???--** Hey there, buddy!

 **???--** Hello, stranger.

_The two boys in front of me were very… I wouldn’t say ‘weird’, but were definitely different._

_One of them was standing by an apparently wrenched open mailbox. He was dark-skinned, blue-eyed, and had on a dark one piece, which had flames coming from the bottom. The clothing stopped at mid-thigh and the collar dipped down to show off half of his chest. It showed his arms, and he wasn’t wearing anything on his feet. However, the weirdest thing wasn’t any of that. It was his bright purple hair. It was in a ponytail, and not a low one either, it was stationed at the top of his head. The ponytail reached his hips, and was curly._

_The other one had messy hair, and it looked like if he actually brushed it, it would reach his shoulder blades, but for now, it was just a messy black heap. His eyes were an odd teal, as well as the crossed bandages on his mask. His mask is one you would see if someone was sick, and it had two crossed bandages where his mouth was. He had a dark grey hoodie, gray jeans that were too big for him (they lapsed over his blue sneakers), and he also had a white bag slung over his shoulder, with a badge bearing the same insignia on his mask on the strap. Oh, and you can’t forget the bluish gray skin._

**Blue Boy--** Yes, I have blue skin, your eyes aren’t fooling themselves.

 **Blue Boy--** [Ruffles hair] I have a condition called methemoglobinemia, which is a disease caused by too much exposure to silver. It makes my skin turn the blue-gray you see here.

 **Blue Boy--** My name is **Achille Zunino** , and I’m the **Super High School Level “Surgeon”**. I don’t actually have a PhD yet.

****

\-- ACHILLE ZUNINO - S.H.S.L SURGEON --

**Achille--** You were able to hear us outside, correct?

_Wow, he can talk a lot._

**Atka--** Yeah, I could. Wanted to see… [Yaaawwwwnnnn] …What was up.

 **Ponytail Boy--** Holy shit, you’re STILL tired? **After sleeping for that long?**

 **Atka--** Oh. Sorry. I usually spend 12 to 15 hours sleeping. But how long was I out for?

 **Achille--** You do realize that it’s not healthy to be sleeping that much, right?

_It isn’t?_

**Ponytail Boy--** I’m more concerned with why he can sleep that long! Doesn’t he have anything to do?

 **Atka--** No, not real-

 **Ponytail Boy--** In any case, [Turns to Atka] The name’s **Tsukuda Hiroko,** and I’m the **Ess-Ech-Ess-Ell Pyrotechnician!**

****

\-- TSUKUDA HIROKO - S.H.S.L PYROTECHNICIAN --

_Did he… just say the acronym? That’s weird._

 **Atka--** My name is Atka Ishii. Super High School Level… [Yawn] …Roboticist.

 **Achille--** [Looks at Tsukuda]

 **Tsukuda--** [Looks at Achille]

 **Atka--** Hm?

 **Tsukuda--** Are you friends with a guy named **Ono Ichirou?**

_My head snapped up._

**Atka--** [Wide awake] Yes! I am! Is he here?

 **Achille--** Yes, actually, he is. Would you like to know his whera-

 **Atka--** Where. Is. He.

 **Achille--** [Sigh] …Last we saw him, he was in the gift shop. It’s on the next level down from here.

 **Atka--** Thank you!

_And I ran off to find my friend since I was eight._

_But, unbeknownst to him, the two guys he had just left were having a conversation about him._

**Achille--** Did you, by any chance… hear that?

 **Tsukuda--** The urgency in his voice? How he was suddenly wide awake? Yes.

 **Achille--** It was kinda… creepy, to be honest.

_However, we need to keep up with our protagonist._

_As I waited (impatiently, mind you) for the escalator to reach the next level, I studied the area around me. There was a lot of greenery, and I didn’t know much of it. I saw roses and other kinds of flowers, but those I couldn’t identify. Oh well. Guess I wasn’t the Super High School Level Gardener for a reason. There were also a lot of… what are they called? Frens? No, wait, ferns, that’s what they’re called._

**???--** Heyy!! Who are y-

 **???--** [GAAAAASP]

_I turn around to see a pink-haired boy latching onto me in a heartbeat._

**???--** Atka! What are you doing here?

 **Atka--** I have no clue, to be honest.

 **Atka--** Although I feel a lot better with you here, **Ichirou.**

_Ichirou Ono has been my best (and only) friend since I was eight. I met him online on a robotics forum. He had yellow-green eyes behind silver glasses, a dusty pink haircut of long bangs over on one side and it was short in the back, like a bowl cut, except less weird, an oversized, white pink-and-purple gradient striped hoodie, black shorts, and lace-up, ankle high, dark gray boots, with a heel. He’s the one and only **S.H.S.L Stuffed Toymaker.**_

****

\-- ONO ICHIROU - S.H.S.L STUFFED TOYMAKER --

**Ichirou--** [Letting go] So, I’m assuming you just woke up?

 **Atka--** I met a few others on my way down here, so I didn’t just wake up, but otherwise, yeah, pretty much!

 **Atka--** Though I’m still… [Yaawwwnn] …Tired.

 **Ichirou--** That’s good! Well, not the tired part, but that you’re meeting new people.

 **Ichirou--** Oh! Let me introduce you to someone else.

 **Ichirou--** Hey! Harada-sama!

 **???--** Hm?

_And then a girl poked her head out of the doorway--_

_(It seemed like it led to a warehouse of sorts.)_

_\-- I hadn’t noticed. Blonde ponytail, blue eyes, and eyeliner. Tannish skin, and a white sweater that hang off her shoulders was all I could see._

**???--** Oh! Hey there! [Waves enthusiastically]

 **???--** I’m **Aiko Harada**! I’m the **Super High School Cheerleader!**

****

\-- HARADA AIKO - S.H.S.L. CHEERLEADER --

**Aiko--** And everyone calls me Aiko-chan!

_Now that I could see her in full view, I was able to take a good look at her. She had a white sweater crop-top, a white skirt with two pink lines almost running along the hem. She had these weird… ribbon things accentuating her waist, except they didn’t have bows, that were a dark gray, which were the same color as her thigh-high tights. Her white… loafers were out of place though._

**Aiko--** It’s nice to meet you…?

 **Aiko--** [Puffs out cheek] What is your name?

 **Atka--** My name is Atka Ishii. I’m the S.H.S.L. Roboticist.

 **Atka--** [Yawwwn] … These introductions are getting tiring.

 **Aiko--** How many have you done?

 **Atka--** Uhh… 9… I think. No wait, sorry, 8.

 **Aiko--** Hehe! Did you include yourself accidentally?

 **Aiko--** It’s fine, we all make mistakes! Heck, even I make mistakes in my cheerleading!

 **Atka--** Oh. Okay.

_Why was she so… cheery?_

_Guess it comes with being a cheerleader._

**Ichirou--** Well, Aiko-chan, we better get going!

_And he starts walking off with a hand on my shoulder._

**Ichirou--** [Waves goodbye]

 **Aiko--** Bye!

_The minute I turned around, Ichirou spoke low into my ear._

**Ichirou-- I don’t trust her.**

**Atka--** Hm…? What do you mean?

 **Ichirou--** She’s super suspicious if you look at it from a psychological standpoint.

 **Ichirou--** Happy, cheerful, and not having a care in the world.

 **Ichirou--** If we get to know her better, I bet she’ll be charismatic, funny, and, on top of that…

 **Ichirou--** Cheerleaders, while they may not look like it, are vicious.

_I doubt she’ll be like that. It’s just not plausible for someone to have that many… good things about themselves._

**Ichirou--** [Shrugging] Or maybe it’s just my untrustworthy nature telling me that?

 **Atka--** Maybe.

_Without realizing it, we were at the next level. Someone was stopping the escalator by being stuck in it._

**???--** Ngh! Come on, get out!

_The boy standing in front of me had his shoelaces untied, and as such, they got stuck._

**Atka--** Do you… need help?

_Now, imagine this. A cat, a small cat at that, covered in pale yellow fur glaring at you. That’s what this felt like. This short, small, lithe boy, with big baby blue eyes, was glaring at me with the most deadpan expression._

**Creme Cat--** Oh yes, I am most certainly a damsel-in-distress. Please save my shoelace that is trapped in this crappy escalator.

 **Creme Cat--** Ngh-!

 **Creme Cat--** There we go.

_He stood there brushing off his poncho. Yeah, a poncho. It was creme colored, had white fluff on the end of it, and had diamonds on the sides. Or so I thought._

**Creme Cat--** [Mumbling] Now that I’m out of that darn thing…

_Then he turned around. The diamonds continued into stripes, where they merged in the middle in an ‘X’ shape. This guy was intriguing. And also walking away._

**Atka--** Isn’t it polite in society to say hello?

 **Creme Cat--** [Looks back] Are you talking to me?

 **Atka--** Yes.

 **Creme Cat--** Oh wait, you’re probably one of the late-risers.

 **Jackson--** [Sigh] I’m **Jackson Kimura** , and I know this’ll be surprising, but I’m the **Super High School Level Lolita Model**.

****

\-- JACKSON KIMURA - S.H.S.L. LOLITA MODEL --

_A what now?_

 **Ichirou--** Really?!

 **Atka--** Uh… sorry for asking, but…

 **Atka--** What’s a lolita?

 **Jackson--** …

 **Jackson--** Y’know, suddenly you don’t seem that bad anymore.

 **Jackson--** Oh! That reminds me.

 **Jackson--** I’ve actually been wandering around to figure out something.

 **Jackson--** What do you guys remember of Kaika Bara Academy?

 **Ichirou--** Hm? What do you mean?

 **Atka--** I remember… [Yawwn] … not much, actually.

 **Atka--** Like… my first month. I remember sitting in class, sleeping in class, studying, sleeping, going to the library, sleeping, reading books for chemistry, and…

**Atka-- You guys.**

**Atka--** You guys were in my class.

 **Ichirou--** Ohh… that.

 **Ichirou--** Yeah, I remember about the same.

 **Jackson--** Huh.

**Jackson-- Well, that makes sixteen.**

**Jackson--** Everyone has answered with the same testimony.

 **Atka--** Do they remember being summoned to the headmaster's office and then… [Yaawwn] … suspiciously blacking out too?

 **Jackson--** Yep. Everything matches up.

 **Jackson--** [Mumbling] Now to figure out who’d be twisted enough to put us here… 

**Atka--** Hm? What was…

_I decided to ignore in favor of an event going on. That event being a sound and the screens behind the bushes lighting up._

**_-BZZT-_ **

**O?n?e?--** Jeez! This is taking too long!

 **T?w?o?--** To hurry this along, everyone come to the diner on the first level! Introduce yerselves there!

 **O?n?e?--** Yeah!

 **Both--** AND ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY!

**_-BZZT-_ **

_What… just happened? Who were those guys?_

**Ichirou--** Huh. Curious.

 **Jackson--** Well, we better get going. After all, they don’t sound like people we want upset.

_And so we set off. Ichirou and Jackson made… what do you call it? ‘Tiny talk’, right? Yeah. So, while they were making tiny talk, my brain set off on it’s own journey. Why were we here? Is it a hostage situation? Did someone just want us to enjoy ourselves? I know that all of these questions will be answered, but still. Is it good to question things this much?_

_Before I could continue, a voice snapped me out of my thoughts._

**???--** Bonjour?

 **???--** Izze mentally here yet?

 **Ichirou--** [Gritting teeth] Yep.

 **Atka--** Huh? Oh, sorry, I got distracted in my thoughts.

 **Atka--** [Yawwwn] … my name is Atka Ishii, and I’m the Super High School Level Roboticist. What’s yours?

 **???--** Aah! My name iz **Adrienne Bellerose**! It iz a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.

 **Adrienne--** I am ze **Zuper High School Level Make-up Artist.**

****

\-- ADRIENNE BELLEROSE - S.H.S.L. MAKEUP ARTIST --

_Huh. Well, that explains her uh… extra eyelashes. She had a muddy grayish yellow skirt, with a muddy-er grayish-yellow jacket over her skirt and her bright-ish yellow turtleneck. She has light, mousy brown hair in bob cut, as well as a bangs that swept right off the side of her face. Her bangs were dyed a yellow, as well. Her bright pink eyes (are those natural?) were framed by her, as I said earlier, extra eyelashes, and she seemed to have a… dot on the left side of her nose._

 **???--** Uhm… sorry to cut your intro short, but, there are more people here.

_I turned around to see a LOT more people behind me._

_One, two, three, four, five people I didn’t know were behind me. One had silver hair in pigtails, another had short blue hair in buns, yet another had long, bright green hair in a mess, the one talking had a curly red bob, and the last one… had giant brown and blonde braids hanging from a hard-hat._

**Atka--** Uhm… hello. Sorry for… [Yawwwwwnn] …not seeing you.

 **Red Bob--** Oh no, it’s fine. We understand!

 **Adrienne-** \- Oh dieu, it’z her.

_Huh? Who is she…_

_I followed her gaze to the braids-girl in front of us. I didn’t see anything wrong with her. She had a little bit of a weird fashion sense, sure, but that was fine. Or… was it? I don’t know._

**Braids--** [Waves :)]

 **Green Guy--** All right, well, since he doesn’t seem to know us, I think I should take the opportunity to introduce everyone present. So, I’ll go from left-to-right, along with talents.

 **Green Guy--** Alrighty! Cyborg silver bunny girl is **Yi Ji-Yeong** , and she is the **Super High School Level Good Luck!**

 **Yi--** Hi~ Hi~! How are you?

****

\-- YI JI-YEONG - S.H.S.L. GOOD LUCK --

_Yi was a silver-pigtailed, blue eyed girl with a very sci-fi appearance. She had a blue track jacket with a four-leaf clover appearing as a zipper, a white skirt, and white knee-high boots with a singular blue stripe down the outside. She had a light blue headset with bunny ears on it that covered her ears, and I was sure she had a circular bob on her backside as well. However, I wasn’t focused on all that; I was focused on the fact that she was a freaKING CYBORG._

 **Atka--** [Wide-Eyed] [GAAASSSP]

 **Ichirou--** [Worried] Okay, we can talk about how she’s a cyborg later, just please, please don’t go off on your barrage of questions right now.

 **Atka--** … Fine.

 **Green Guy--** Next is the bun girl, **Ito Aya!** She is the **Super High School Level Zen Architect!**

 **Ito--** Yo.

**\-- ITO AYA - S.H.S.L. ZEN ARCHITECT --**

_Ito was a little short, as well as a little chubby, and had light blue hair up in double buns. The bangs framing her pale white face ended with a little curl at the end, and her pale blue eyes reminded me of ice. Her attire was simple; a blue shirt with short puffy sleeves, as well as a navy blue skirt that seemed to be attached to sky blue suspenders. White stockings as well as black mary janes were also on her. Her voice was a little scratchy, a little sweet, and mostly tired._

_I wave back, seeing as I haven’t actually responded back._

**Atka--** [Yaaawwwnn] …Hey.

 **Midori--** Next up is… oh! Me, actually!

 **Midori--** My name is Ay-Knee-Us Co-Joe-Ca-Roo, or **Aeneas Cojocaru** , but to demons I’m known as The Watchman. I’m the one and only **Super High School Level Demonologist!**

****

\-- AENEAS COJOCARU - S.H.S.L. DEMONOLOGIST --

_He had messy bright green hair down to his waist, a gray-and-green striped jacket, white shirt, and gray sports shorts. However, what was interesting was a.) his deep purple eyes (I heard they were rare), and b.) his… ‘vitiligo’? Is that what it’s called? But, in any case..._

 **Atka--** You study… [Yaawwwnnn] ...demons?

 **Aeneas--** [Grinning] Yep! Hindu, Christian, Japanese, Chinese, if you can be afraid of a spirit, I know what that spirit is, what it does, and how to expel, or in some rare cases, exorcise it if need to be rid of in the proper way.

 **Aeneas--** [Puffs cheeks] Man, you wouldn’t believe how often parents and the like don’t know how to to get rid of it. They torch it, they ice it, heck, they even try to throw it away in the garbage like that’ll do anything. What’ll it do, possess the raccoons? Like seriously, you have to take care of a demon a proper way. However, seeing as this is not my main line of work, I do not kno-

 **Ichirou--** [Irritated] Can you maybe stop talking for just a sec? We have other people for him to meet.

 **Aeneas--** … Oh yeah.

 **Aeneas--** Well, beside me is Ms. Kokinos!

 **Aeneas--** ...I, uh, can’t say her first name properly.

_He did have an accent._

**“Ms. Kokinos”--** It’s fine.

 **“Ms. Kokinos”--** My name is **Diamantina Kokinos.** I’m the **Super High School Level Steampunk Designer.**

****

\-- DIAMANTINA KOKINOS - S.H.S.L. STEAMPUNK DESIGNER --

_Diamantina was eccentric, that was for sure. She wore a red vest that looked like it belonged to the victorian-era, a white undershirt, and deep red velvet dress pants. Black dress shoes, and a pale yellow bowtie, and she was set. Oh, wait, her curly red hair was in a bob, and she had gray eyes. Phew._

 **Diamantina--** It is a pleasure to meet you…

_It was then I realized no one knows my name._

**Atka--** Oh. My name’s Atka Ishii, and I’m a roboticist.

 **Atka--** Nice to meet you… [Yawn] … too, Diamantina. Oh, and the others as well.

 **Diamantina--** … Oh hey, you got it right.

 **Atka--** Well, it’s pretty easy, right?

 **Atka--** Dee-Ah-Man-Tee-Na.

 **Atka--** I have a weird name too, so...

 **Aeneas--** Yeah, what dialect is that? I’ve never heard of it.

 **Atka--** It’s Aleut. I think.

**Aeneas-- Well, in any case, the last girl in our party is none other than **Amanda Blanxart** , the **Super High School Level Construction Worker!****

********

\-- AMANDA BLANXART - S.H.S.L. CONSTRUCTION WORKER --

**Aeneas--** She’s mute, so she communicates with both sign language and a board.

 **Amanda--** [Waves cheerfully]

_Amanda didn’t look anything like a construction worker, minus the pale yellow hard hat skewed slightly on her head. She had two long braids going out of the hard hat, and then looping back into the hat. She wore a dark pink gas mask (???), a light pink (oversized) sweater with dark purple seemingly gooping up from the bottom. She had a whiteboard clipped to her pink overalls, and white painter shoes. I couldn’t see her eyes, but I could see that she was dark-skinned when she lifted her hand to wave to me. Speaking of..._

**Atka--** Hey th-

 **Adrienne--** Tch. Disgusting scum.

_I… what?_

**Adrienne--** You agree, do you not?

 **Atka--** Huh? Why would I agree with you? Did she do something?

 **Adrienne--** She exists.

 **Ichirou--** [Whispers] Adrienne’s racist.

_Ohhhhhh._

_I decided to scoot about five steps away from her. I’ve heard of people like these existing, even seen a few posts by them on forum threads, but I never thought I’d meet one in real life._

**Adrienne--** Ugh. Of courze you don’t zee, why would you.

 **Adrienne--** I’ll be leaving thiz poubelle.

 **???--** Not so fast, bucko!

_And a voice so grating it sounded like a baby laughing and nails on a chalkboard at the same time entered. We all looked towards the voice, and found…_

_A small stuffed black and white bird, with pom-poms in his (???) hair. We were understandably confused._

**Adrienne--** Excusez moi?

 **Des--** _ExCuSeZ MoI_ fuck are you?

_I turned around, and saw that the people I had introduced myself to earlier were behind me. I did a quick head count, and found that there were 16 people, including me. So, we had everyone._

**Bird--** Ukuukuukuu~!

 **Bird--** Here comes trouble!

_And then a bear that shared the same color scheme appeared next to him (I was fairly sure at this point)._

**Bear--** And make it double!~

**Bear-- Monokuma…**

**Bird-- Monotori…**

**MK+MT--** The Headmaster’s...

 **Monokuma--** Blasting off at the speed of light!

 **Monotori--** Surrender now or prepare to die!

_Huh?_

**Des--** [Annoyed] God fucking…

 **Ichirou--** … Are you serious?

 **Monokuma--** Hey! Ya did it wrong!

 **Monotori--** Oops!

 **Monotori--** Well, like we were saying, we are your headmasters!

 **Monokuma--** Now I bet you may be wondering…

 **Monotori--** “O great headmasters! Why art thou in front of us in thy amazing despairing resort?”

 **Monotori--** Well…

 **Monokuma--** To put it simply…

_…_

_Silence for a split second eased my mind. And then the words that were spoken next filled my mind with fear._

**Mono’s--** You all have been miraculously chosen as the **10th class of the killing game!**

_...huh?_

**Monotori--** Now, I know what you all may be thinking…

 **Monokuma--** “A K-KILLING GAME? There’s no way I’d ever participate in that! I’ll never kill anyone!”

 **Monotori--** [Sadistic] Well, too bad suckers, ‘cause yer lyin’ to yerselves!

 **Atka--** Uhm… if I may inquire…

 **Monokuma--** Yeeeeeessssssss?~

 **Atka--** Is a killing game what it sounds like?

 **Atka--** A killing game would entail slaying the other students here, correct? But, of course, since you described it as a ‘game’, there would be… [yawn] … parameters, correct?

 **Monokuma--** …

 **Monotori--** …

 **Z--** It would also probably have us living here for an extended amount of time, wouldn’t it?

 **Atka--** Hmm… yeah, I believe it would.

 **Xavior--** So… is that why those apartments are there?

 **Yukimura--** Yeah, but the real question is where we’ll get food from.

 **Jackson--** Meh. It’ll probably be in the diner I saw earlier-

 **Monokuma--** [Angry] WILL YOU KIDS SHUT UP FOR A GODDAMN SECOND! JEEZ!

 **Monotori--** [Angry] Yeah! We were gonna tell you, but then Mr. I-Build-Robots-so-I’m-a-smartass over there did it for us! You’re killing the suspense here!

 **Atka--** Hm? [Yawn] … I was merely explaining what I thought? Why’s that so… [Yaaawwwwn] … bad for me to do?

 **Monokuma--** [Agitated] Because we’re the rulers here! Not you!

 **Monotori--** [Sigh] ALRIGHT! We’re done with this topic. Let’s get onto the rules without any interruptions, shall we?

 **Monokuma--** We shall!

 **Monokuma--** Rule Number One! No harm may come to your headmasters or school property, intentional or otherwise!

 **Monotori--** Just so you know, this entire mountain is school property!

 **Monotori--** But in any case…

 **Monotori--** Rule numero dos! Keep your Student I.D. on you **at all times.** Or in your room, that works too.

 **Monokuma--** Mhm!

_I saw a hand go up._

**Monokuma--** Yeeesss?

 **Diamantina--** Pardon me, sirs, but we don’t have these Student IDs. 

_She was right._

_Also, man, everyone here seems to be okay with a talking bear and bird duo standing in front of them. Of course, seeing as they are animatronics (assumedly) the students would probably suspect me as the one who made them, and thus, put us in this mess. Hm._

**Atka--** Yeah… we don’t.

 **Monotori--** God fucking… kids these days! What are you, ESP users? We were _about_ to hand them to you, but _oh no, you just h-_

 **Monokuma--** Okay, cuz’, calm down! We don’t wanna be breaking our own rules!

_And then it hit us. Quite literally. We each got an ID card (assumedly) flinged at our faces. Mine hit me in the face, and, quietly groaning, I removed it. How the screen didn’t crack wasn’t on the front of my mind right now, instead I was subjected to the usual barrage of questions that assaulted my brain. Like, “Holy cow HOW does this WORK??” and “what is this??” and the like, but I just pressed a button with a power symbol on it on the side. It turned green, and the screen lit up. It had a menu, so I tapped the one displaying a roulette board. A bigger roulette board opened up, and there were pixelated sprites of some kind representing my classmates. Assumedly. I tapped on mine and it displayed my name, height, weight, likes, dislikes, blood type, and gender and… pronouns? Huh. It had also displayed my… chest size, for some reason? That was odd. An icon in the corner said that you could go back, but I wanted to hear what the headmaster’s had to say._

**Monokuma--** Done investigating your new doohickeys? Good.

 **Monokuma--** Rule number drei! Fall asleep in your own room or else! This does not count if you are moved while you are sleeping!

 **Monotori--** Number 4つの! The students are allowed free roam of this section and any others that open up with little to no interference from the HM’s.

 **Monokuma--** Number cinq! Once a murder takes place, all students alive have to participate in a class trial. Attendance to that is mandatory.

 **Monotori--** Number… uh… Шесть! If the blackened, the murderer, is exposed in a trial, they alone will be executed.

 **Monokuma--** Number seitse! If the blackened is NOT exposed during the trial, then everyone BUT the blackened will be executed. The blackened will be able to walk through the gates to the outside world! 

**Monotori--** Number आठ! The Body Discovery Announcement, otherwise known as the BDA, will play as soon as three or more people discover a dead body.

 **Monokuma--** Number nove! The HM’s are able to add rules at any time!

 **Monotori--** That should be all of them! Now, if you have any questions, please raise your hand!

_One hand went up._

**Diamantina--** Was this expedition propelled by the time and dedication from Kaika Bara Academy? And if that is the case, then…

**Diamantina-- Who’s leading the expedition?**

**‘Mono’s--** [Whistling]

 **Diamantina--** Are you gonna provide an adequate answer?

 **Monotori--** Answer? Did we say we’d provide an answer?

 **Monokuma--** Nope! We didn’t!

 **Monokuma--** Now scram!

_And they left. Just like that. It was confusing, but… I was tired. So, I turned around and started to leave without making a sound. But, someone saw me._

**Tsukuda--** HEY!

_I turned around._

**Tsukuda--** Where the fuck do you think you’re going, punk?!

 **Atka--** I’m tired, and I… [Yawwwn] … don’t wanna sleep on the ground. Or die.

 **Atka--** So, I’m heading to my apartment…[Yawwwn] … ‘Kay?

_I could see he was pissed. I could see he was suspicious. That’s fine. I’m not even worried._

_I highly doubt they aren’t gonna give us motives. We’ll need to kill each other at some point, so I might as well save my energy until then. And by save, I mean sleep._

**Des--** ...Well, if you’re headin’ to bed that early, then how ‘bout we meet at the gift shop tomorrow? If we wanna get outta here alive, we gotta plan it somehow.

 **Atka--** [Thumbs up]

 **Ichirou--** Sounds good!

_And so, with the chorus of everyone's groans and agreement, we decided to meet up at the gift shop **tomorrow at noon.** That’s… certainly gonna be eventful. I just wanted to sleep. I wanted to sleep so badly, that I, once I entered my room, fell onto my bed and into dreams, barely hearing the bells signalling night has fallen._

**——**

**DING, BING, BING, DING**

 **Monokuma--** Rise and shine everyone!

 **Monotori--** And be ready to greet an absolutely BEEEEEE-UTIFUL mountainous morning!

 **Monokuma--** No announcements for today, so you can kill people and time as you wish!

 **Monotori--** That concludes…

 **Monokuma--** ...the morning announcement!

****

— B Z Z T —

**Atka--** mweghhhhhh…

 **Atka--** [Blink] … [Blink] …

 **Atka--** Oh yeah.

_I just remembered that I’m not in Alaska. I’m in a pretty much unknown place, with pretty much unknown people, and it’s…_

_7 a.m._

_Seven. Freaking. AM._

_Really?_

_Well, might as well examine this place. A bed beneath me- wait, my bed’s over there. I’m sitting on my… what is it? Loveseat? Yeah. Okay, I’m not in my bed. Great. Anyways, looking around, I’m in a navy blue room, with the light blue loveseat I’m sitting on against an indent in the back wall, and, getting up, I also saw a worktable around the corner. There was a mess of wires and what seemed to be metal on it. Directly in front of me was what seemed to be a toy robot._

_**Atka--** [Quietly] They really went all out, huh…_

__The blue color scheme continued throughout the entire room. I assumed it was because of my clothes. Gray scarf with deep blue stripes, dark slate jacket, blue bootcut jeans, and light blue snow boots were part of my attire. A semi-overgrown black bob for my hair, with a strand that won’t flatten, and deep-set blue eyes were part of my appearance. I looked snazzy and ready for winter. Only problem was? This is summer. An actually WARM summer. So, I looked over at the bed, and lo and behold, a change of clothes._ _

__**Door--** [Knock, Knock]_ _

___But before that…_ _ _

___**Atka--** [Opens door] Hello?_ _ _

___**Ichirou--** Heyyy~!_ _ _

___**Ichirou--** Just wanted to make sure you weren’t dead! That’s all._ _ _

___**Atka--** Oh. Okay._ _ _

____And he left._ _ _ _

____Weird._ _ _ _

____Oh well. I guess I can change into whatever the heck is over here._ _ _ _

____I headed over to the alcove containing the bed, and change into what’s there. A light, indigo sweater along with denim overalls. Simple, but I liked it. I kept my scarf and boots on, and then headed outside. Problem was, I didn’t know what to do with my… four hours. So, I decided to see who else was in my apartment block, because that was a thing._ _ _ _

____Along with me, there was Xavior, Des, and Aiko. Huh. Interesting. Wonder how they chose the rooms. Oh well. And speaking of my blockmates, there was one right in front of me._ _ _ _

____**Harada-** \- [Mumbling]_ _ _ _

____**Harada--** [Quietly] So if I wanna…_ _ _ _

____**Harada--** [Notices me] **!**_ _ _ _

_____Hm?_ _ _ _ _

_____**Atka--** Hi…?_ _ _ _ _

_____**Harada--** Hi hi! How are you?_ _ _ _ _

_____**Atka--** Fine. Tired, but… [Yawwwn] … fine._ _ _ _ _

_____**Harada--** Good to hear! Hey, wanna go have breakfast with me?_ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

{Do I want to spend time with Harada?}

_{No **> Yes}**_

**Atka--** Sure.

 **Harada--** Okay!

 **Harada--** Follow me!

_{Harada and I had fun making and eating our breakfast.}_

_It was now about 8:30 and we had just finished our breakfast, when Harada asked me a question._

**Harada--** Say, where’d you learn to cook?

 **Harada--** I, myself, learned it as a hobby, but what about you?

 **Atka--** Oh, I learned by myself. I had to make meals somehow, after all.

 **Harada--** Hmm? Whaddya mean?

 **Atka--** Well, my mom was never home, so I had to do everything for myself.

 **Harada--** Then what about your dad?

 **Atka--** He died on a fishing expedition.

 **Harada--** O-Oh.

 **Harada--** Wait, if you don’t mind me asking, where did you live?

 **Atka--** Alaska?

**Harada-- Oh.**

**Harada--** [Ahem] [Awkward smiling] W-well, did your mom at least come home sometimes?

 **Atka--** She came home every like… [Yawwn] …six? Months, yeah, but she… [Yawwwwn] ...never stayed for long.

 **Atka--** Hm. I seem to be yawn-

_Suddenly, she pushes away from the table._

**Harada--** S-Sorry, just… I need to go.

_And then she ran off._

_Weird._

_{Free Time Over!}_

_{Time Check: 8:42}_

_Well, that was short. Maybe I could find someone else to spend my time with? It’s always a possibility, really._

_So, I headed outside and over to the escalator, and who else do I see but Jackson trapped in the escalator. Again._

**Atka--** Why don’t you just tie your-

 **Jackson--** [Glare]

_And then he got them unstuck._

**Jackson--** [Sigh] Sorry. I was coming over here to see if they had coffee.

 **Atka--** What’s that?

 **Jackson--** You… seriously don’t know what coffee is. Do you know anything of society?

 **Jackson--** Have you even gone to school yet?

 **Atka--** I’ve taught myself everything essential to live happily. I know how to read, write, and do calculations. I had to walk to the… [Yawwn] ...villages near me to get stuff to restock my house, but otherwise-

 **Jackson--** Villa- I’m sorry, are you living in the medieval era?

 **Atka--** Well, I’m currently… [Yawwwn] … Living wherever-this-is, but otherwise, I live in Alaska.

 **Jackson--** Ohhhhh. That makes sense. I lived in a city called Shibuya.

_Shibuya? That’s an odd place name._

**Jackson--** Anyways, want me to introduce you to coffee?

_{Should I spend time with Jackson?}_

_{No **> Yes**}_

**Atka--** Sure. Not doing anything… [Yawwwn] … anyways.

_{We walked inside, and I watched as Jackson put these beans inside a paper bowl, and then he put the beans in this machine, and we waited at the counter. A little while later, he got up, and came back with two steaming cups of this dark liquid.}_

**Jackson--** Drink up.

 **Atka--** Is… this coffee?

 **Jackson--** Yep. Don’t worry, I put sugar in it.

_Why would I need sugar?_

_I took a sip and… yeah, this was new. It had this sweet taste just barely containing the bitter within. It’s kind’ve good? But not at the same time. I decided to keep sipping it, mainly because Jackson made it for me. Don’t wanna turn it down._

_Which reminds me._

**Atka--** Hey, uhm, I’m not sure if this is okay to ask, but what’s a lolita?

_Woah. I said a sentence without yawning._

_A sigh came from the other. It was a ‘god-dang-it-he-asked’ type of sigh._

**Jackson--** A lolita is someone who is generally regarded as ‘cute’ or ‘adorable’. Really pastel colors, soft, and generally happy. I’m honestly just tired of doing it. 

**Jackson--** ...well, maybe that’s not all true.

_Hm?_

**Atka--** Go on.

_And so he explained to me what gothic lolita was. What I got from it was it was a generally more darkish vibe than regular lolita._

**Jackson--** But the thing is, I have light hair, bright eyes, and light skin. And freckles. Freckles. Basically all the traits of cuteness. But, I don’t feel cute. Does that make sense?

_I nodded._

**Atka--** Yeah. It’s kinda like how I’m not crazy even though you’d expect me to be, right?

 **Jackson--** Wait, you aren’t? You’re not faking the sleepiness?

 **Atka--** …

 **Atka-** \- No. I’m not crazy. I doubt anyone here is.

 **Jackson--** Well, for the exception of **whoever trapped us here.**

_That made me pause._

**Atka--** Hm? Why’re we switching to such a serious subject so suddenly?

 **Jackson--** Well, we should probably figure out a way to get out of here as soon as possible, right? **I personally don’t have any family left** , but others might, and they might want to see them.

 **Atka--** I don’t really care that much about my mom myself, but she’s not really ever home, so meh.

 **Atka--** [Cocks head to the right] But what happened to your family?

 **Jackson--** …

 **Jackson--** I don’t really wanna talk about it.

 **Atka--** Why not? Surely it can’t be that bad.

 **Jackson--** Oh no, trust me, it is not a happy story.

 **Atka--** Hm.

 **Atka--** Well, I won’t press it if you won’t tell me.

 **Atka--** Anyways, I think the… [Yawn] … coffee is wearing off, so—

_And then there was a flash of pink suddenly attacking me._

**???--** Hey hey hey! Shii-chan, can you help me with something?

 **???--** Hm? Oh, hey Kii-chan!

 **Jackson--** [Monotone] Please don’t call me that.

_Since the nicknames, high pitched, slightly accentuated voice, and pink told me it was Yukimura, I asked her what she needed help with. Mainly so that she would get off me, seeing as I was pinned under her._

**Atka--** [Muffled] Hey, cahn you mahybeh get off’er me?

 **Yukimura--** Hm? Oh, sorry, Shii-chan!

_And so she got off of me._

**Atka--** Is it fine if I go help her…?

_Jackson just nodded in response._

**Atka--** Okay… if you say so.

**\- FREE TIME SWITCH -**

**\- JACKSON -- > YUKIMURA -**

_And so I got dragged off by Yukimura. Literally, she’s surprisingly strong. Anyways, she dragged me over to the escalator, picked me off the ground, and carried me up._

 **Atka--** What are you--

 **Yukimura--** Shh!

_Okay then._

_We reached the top of the escalator, and by now, I could hear people arguing. It sounded like a squeaky mouse was trying to talk to a stubborn moose..._

**Mouse--** Aww, c’mon!! You’re blue, you can’t get much weirder than that!

 **Moose--** ...No.

_… It also sounded like the Moose’s determination was wearing down._

**Yukimura--** [Whisper shouting] look! it’s aiko and achille!

_Indeed it is._

**Atka--** [nods]

_Aiko, who was presumably trying to get Achille to show his skin, was not showing much more than usual herself. She still had her skirt on, but she was wearing a white crop-top as well._

**Achille--** [Flustered] Listen, it’s my body, and if I don’t want to show it, I don’t have to.

 **Aiko--** But I wanna see it!

 **Achille--** Like I said, I don’t- oh. Hey Yukimura.

 **Yukimura--** [Clicks tongue] Dang! And I thought we weren’t gonna get found out.

 **Aiko--** [Puffs left cheek] Awh, you guys were watching? That just makes this no fun.

 **Aiko--** [Deflates] Well, I guess I’ll go now.

_And so she left, with a sigh and bounce._

**Achille--** Thanks guys for accidently saving me.

 **Atka--** You’re welcome…?

 **Achille--** Well, I guess I’ll be on my way now.

 **Atka--** Hm? To what?

 **Achille--** The lunch meeting? It’s 11:54.

_Really? I didn’t know time went by that fast._

**Yukimura--** Oh! Well, I guess we should go too, huh?

 **Atka--** Yeah, I guess. Although, I’d rather be… [Yawwwwnn] ...asleep right now.

 **Atka--** But since it’s mandatory… I guess I’ll go.

_And so we set off towards the diner._

**[ TIME SHIFT ]**

**Yukimura--** Alright! Are we all in attendance?

_Looking around the room, I did a quick headcount; presumably, all 16 of us were there. Tsukuda to my left, Ji-Yeong to my right._

**Tsukuda--** [muttering] god, this is so fuckin’ stupid.

 **Yukimura--** So! Since we are all here, we can start the meeting!

 **Yukimura--** This meeting shall be focused on finding out who put us here, because frankly, I don’t like this! 

_Suddenly, there was a slam on the table from my left._

**Tsukuda--** Isn’t it obvious!? This fuckin’ “ **Mastermind** ” or whatever is Atka! Those fucking things can’t be created by a normal human being, so it has to be an ultimate! **And he’s the fucking roboticist for fuck’s sake!**

_I sigh. But before I can make an argument..._

**Jackson--** He didn’t know what coffee was. I think it’s safe to say he didn’t make them.

 **Achille--** Weren’t you there where he said he slept 15 hours a day? You’d need a lot more time than that to actually make those………. robotic menaces.

 **Jackson--** And coffee.

 **Achille--** And coffee, yes.

_I nod at the two of them to show my thanks._

**Yukimura--** Well, since he’s **out of the question** , I think we can all agree that **no one else here is hiding any secrets, right?**

_Everyone nods. **No secrets here.**_

**???--** Well that’s just a fucking lie!!

_Everyone turns to the TV screen in the corner to see Monotori’s eerie grin looking back, almost as if it’s mocking us._

**Monotori--** Down to the courtyard you go!

_The TV goes back to black and the shuffling of chairs is heard as everyone follows the robot’s instructions. I myself, push my chair in and follow everyone else. When we got down to the courtyard, there were Monokuma and Monotori waiting for us, with a… cannon?_

**Monokuma--** Welcome one!

 **Monotori--** Welcome all!

 **MK+MT--** To your **first motive!**

_Called it._

**Adrienne--** Apologies, but what ze _merde_ is a _cannon_ doing here?

 **Monokuma--** This baby will fire out cards to each person.

 **Monotori--** Those cards will hold the **secrets of someone else** on them!

 **Monokuma--** So without further ado…

**Monotori-- Let’s start this off with a bang!**

**GOOD WRITING - START!**

_As Monotori spoke those words, a bang resounded throughout the multi-leveled resort. After recovering from the shock, I look up to the skies to see cards floating down. I grab one as one of the mechanical menaces screams for us to not be greedy and to take only one._

**Aeneas--** Guys, maybe we should just… keep them closed?

_We looked to Aeneas. While he had grabbed one, he was holding it timidly. Unlike Adrienne, who was in the process of ripping hers open with one of her nails. Does she have to have those be razor claw sharp?_

_You can see Aeneas’ face fall as the torn envelope falls to ground. Sounds of tearing come from around me._

_Might as well._

_I tear open my letter; at the same time, a gasp is heard from my left._

**Harada--** [low] You fucker.

 **Ichirou--** What’s wrong Aiko?

She smiles at Ichirou, but something’s… off. **She’s straining to contain something darker.**

_I look back to my envelope, taking the card out fully. I read the card._

**[ DLS : AIKO HARADA ]**  
[ Nothing about Aiko is as it seems. ]  
[ In fact, Aiko isn’t even **“her”** name! ]  
[ And most importantly, **“she”** is actually ]  
[ the **Ultimate Thanatologist! ]**

_My eyes widen, and I put the card in my pocket. I sit down on the ground, trying to process the information. It wasn’t really that bad, if I’m being honest. He doesn’t even know what a thanatologist is._

 **Harada--** So who got me?

 **Aeneas--** No clue.

 **Ichirou--** Not me.

_I got up, ignoring the soft whimpering coming from some of the more… emotional people of our group. It was slowly dawning on everyone that someone in the group knew their secret. But I didn’t care._

_My “secret” isn’t terrible; I once took a bear cub and took it as a pet. She should be living happily at my house._

**Atka--** Now that that useless display is out of the way, can I go and sleep now?

 **Harada--** But it’s hardly 1! You can’t leave now!

 **Atka--** Watch me.

_And off I left to my dorm room. Well, tried to._

**Harada--** [grabs my scarf] By that I mean, you’re coming with me!

_Huh. She (?) figured it out._

_Harada dragged me off to one of the bushes nearby, just as some of the others started to yell. At the very least I dodged that bullet._

**Harada--** [quiet] you were the one who got my letter, correct?

_I nod._

**Harada--** can i see the card?

_I hand the letter over to them. Him?_

_They take almost no time to read over the letter, eyes scanning the page faster than a laser light. They nod, and take a moment to collect themself._

**Harada--** Alright, well. Since i bet you’re dying to know my name…

 **Harada--** [Deep] My name is actually **Kusonoki Harada.** They/them pronouns, I go by my first name. As the card says, I am the Ultimate Thanatologist- which means I study death and murders alike.

****

**\-- HARADA KUSONOKI - ULTIMATE THANATOLOGIST --**

**Harada--** Pleasure to meet you. Tell anyone about me and my pronouns right now and you’re dead meat-- I am currently collecting info about everyone and it’s easier as a disarming cheerleader. Now then, let’s go see what all the yelling was about.

_And so, with my agreeance to the terms, we head out of the bush. Only to be greeted by less muffled yelling, complete meltdowns, and general chaos. It appeared to be a main battle between Adrienne and Des, Adrienne near scratching the poor girl with her nails. Seems like everyone was on Des’ side, and some were even fighting their own fight against the Make Up Expert._

**Adrienne--** Dieu, I cannot believe you people are so stupid! People should be what God made them to be, not--

_Oh jesus christ, she’s one of those too._

_I tune her out around this point, turning on my heel to my left towards the less… emotional ones of the crew. I ignore Adrienne’s pleas of “don’t you two understand?”, assumedly towards Har-- Akihiko and I._

**Atka--** Hey.

 **Z--** ‘sup.

 **Ji-Yeong--** Hihi!

 **Ito--** Heya.

_These three were currently huddled in a circle, playing some sort of game._

**Atka--** What are you all playing?

 **Ji-Yeong--** After the whole card thing, we actually found out we all like the same game! Well, Ito and I figured out we like the same game. Z just sounded interested.

 **Atka--** What’s the game?

 **Ji-Yeong--** It’s called **DanganronpaVV!** We found it laying around on the ground, and--

 **Z--** I really don’t see what’s so great about this game. It’s not multiplayer, and it’s all about killing people.

**Z-- Why do you two like this game anyways?**

_They blinked a couple of times, before shrugging, and going back to their game. I looked over Ito’s shoulder, and found they were in the middle of a courtroom. Weird._

_I reluctantly sat down with them._

**Atka--** Well, over here is more peaceful than over there, so I suppose I’m staying here.

_I ended up falling asleep anyways. I wasn’t kidding about wanting to take a nap._

—

_As I slowly came to consciousness, I felt around the ground beside me. It was soft, and smelled… really good, for whatever reason. After taking a few short breaths, I slowly opened my eyes to the world beyond. I saw the blurry ceiling above me decorated with somewhat see-through stars and planets, peeling glow in the dark stickers from a bygone age. I vaguely recognize my contacts weren’t in my eyes._

_I furrow my eyebrows before slowly sitting up, not wanting the room to disappear. I look around, still caught in the haze of sleep, before finally realizing I wasn’t in my room._

**Ji-Yeong--** Welcome back!

_I flinched, her cheeriness too much for me in these waking moments. So this is Yi-Jeong’s room, huh?_

**Atka--** … Why am I in your room?

_Ji-Yeong blinked a couple of times, more than likely processing the information. When it clicked, I could almost see the lightbulb above her head._

**Ji-Yeong--** First of all, this is Z’s room. Second of all, we had to leave the area because Des punched Adrienne. She had a broken nose.

_Oh._

**Atka--** … Why?

 **Ji-Yeong--** Not sure. Something about ‘trans rights’? Apparently Des was born as a male and then transitioned into a woman because she felt better that way. For some odd reason, Adrienne took offense to it. I’m a bit confused on the issue itself, but--

 **Atka--** Oh, Des is... transgender? That is the word, right?

_Ji-Yeong glared at me._

**Ji-Yeong--** Do you have a problem with it?

_I shook my head._

**Atka--** No? I don’t care if she’s trans… whatever, why are we even making a big deal of it anyways?

 **Ji-Yeong--** Ah, sorry then. My brother is actually trans, so I get a little up in arms about it sometimes. In any case, we have another meeting today. We’ve actually skipped a bit of it…

_I get up, accidentally hitting my head on the frame. It woke me up more, but it also hurt. I turn to Ji-Yeong, asking if she was coming._

_We soon left for the meeting place-- the garden bubble. Well, after stopping by for my glasses at my apartment._

**————**

**Des--** So I shouldn’t have to explain to anyone my situation, correct? And we’re all in agreeance that it does not matter in the slightest?

_Everyone in attendance nodded._

**Des--** Great, good to know. Now then, I’m not gonna ask you to share what the motives themselves are, but if you would like to share the name of your person, I think that would be fair, yes?

_Again, a nod. A small whimper came from someone in the room, more than likely Aeneas._

**Des--** Great. I got Atka myself. Now he goes.

_My eyebrows raised a little, but it wasn’t surprising._

**Atka--** I got Harada.

_I gestured to Harada, and the game goes around the circle._

_Eventually, we got to the end, with Aeneas finally giving up and opening his letter._

**Aeneas--** Oh shit. Well then.

_Murmurs of who it was went around the room, wondering who has that bad of a reputation. Never thought we’d have this many revelations of so many types._

**Aeneas--** [face reddening] I mean, it isn’t like it’s… bad. It’s just… uhm.

_Slowly, the nature of the note dawned on us. There were various reactions. Everything from smirks and eyebrow wiggles, to blushing and hiding. Myself, I stayed apathetic, as always._

**Des--** [recovering from laughing] W-wait, who was it?

 **Aeneas--** [nervous laughing] uhm… I actually got Ms. Ito?

_The rooms’ sounds come to a screeching halt. It’s so surprising my eyebrows actually jolt up. My mind goes back to yesterday, with the two playing that “Dangan” whatever game, and the puzzle pieces click. I survey the room, under half-lidded eyes, looking at everyone else’s reactions. Ito, understandably, was shrinking down. Yi-Jeong, strangely enough, was growing redder. Des looked like she was going through the five stages of grief. Everyone else was slowly grinning._

_Damn sexual hooligans._

_I see Z out of the corner of my eye come to the revelation that I had. And then the room started to turn into chaos, and the meeting was lost. And such, Z leans over to me._

**Z--** Just so you’re aware, soon after you fell asleep, **Ito left for her dorm room. No explanation.** She was still carrying the game.

 **Atka--** … and as the kids say, “sus”.

_Z sat back and we fell into silence as we watch the students, as a collective group, question one another. I sigh, and head off for a coffee. I vaguely realize that Z is following me. I don’t blame him, it was loud back in the bubble._

__

{Should I spend my free time with Z?}

{No **> Do I really have a choice?**}

And so, Z and I headed off to the diner. I slow down to his pace.

 **Atka--** So what kind of coffee do you like?

_He looked surprised that he was being talked to._

**Z--** [Reciting] Pumpkin spice, double iced frappuccino with extra cream and extra sugar.

_What?_

**Atka--** … those orders are real? I thought they were just an urban legend…

 **Z--** Are you actually gonna discredit my-- you know what, no, I’m going to make you one.

_I let my confusion show on my face as we walked in silence the rest of the way there. Once we got there, Z immediately made a beeline for the coffee maker, snatching an apron off of the wall and tying it around his waist._

**Z--** First thing in the kitchen you need to know-- proper sanitation. This?

_He says, holding a hand out to show off the coffee machine. The mug had leftover liquid in it, and there were some spilled on the counter._

**Z-- This is disgusting.**

_Z poured the cold coffee down the sink, afterwards cleaning up the counter. He rinsed the coffee out of the coffee pot, and placed it back down._

**Z--** Next, we get our ingredients-- since we’re making my coffee order, we’ll need pumpkin spice, creamer, ice, and sugar. Not sure if I can even find pumpkin spice, but why don’t you find some creamer.

_… uh._

**Atka--** … what’s creamer.

_Z stops dead in his tracks and turns around on his heel. He practically glares at me for seemingly no reason._

**Z--** No offense, but you disgust-- oh. Right. Isolation. Creamer makes your coffee more milky and less bitter. And pumpkin spice makes it taste like pumpkins. Generally in the coffee community, people who have their coffee bla-- plain are regarded as boring individuals who don’t know what true coffee tastes like.

 **Atka--** But the coffee I had earlier wasn’t bad--

_Z shushed me. He started to make his drink, all the while lecturing me on coffee techniques and tips I would forget as soon as I took a nap. It took so long that I had to drag a chair into the kitchen because I was getting drowsy._

**Z--** [Proud] And with that, we are done!

_He slowly spins back around to me, presenting the finished product. There was an aroma wafting in the air-- it was vaguely sweet, but a little bit spicy too. Reminded me of the pies the elders would make back home. They lived far away, so far away I had nearly forgotten the smell._

_It made my eyes widen a bit. Z’s chuckling brought me out of my thoughts._

**Z--** Ever smelt pumpkin before? 

**Atka--** That’s what that’s called?

_Z looked at me for a good solid minute before turning back around to his witches brew._

**Z--** Anyways. Here, try this.

_Z placed down the… frappacheeno? Not sure. He placed the coffee down in front of me, and I took a sip. It was interesting. There was still an aftertaste of the bitterness regular coffee has, but it was so overpowered by all the other ingredients, I hardly noticed. The pumpkin, while tasting most definitely artificial, adding a kick to it that I doubt I would be able to find outside of the spice._

**Z--** So? How is it?

 **Atka--** … not bad. A bit too sweet for my tastes, personally.

_His cat yellow eye lit up, and the crinkles on his mouth bandages indented themselves into a grin. He started off for the diner’s main area, so I followed. Nothing really else to do._

_Then someone came rushing through the doors. They quickly slammed the door shut, and when all was said and done, I realized that it was Ito currently holding the door shut. Her eyes were wide with panic and her mouth was up in a tight smile. She might’ve been sweating a bit._

**Ito--** H-hey you two. Sorry for… barging in. I was being cha--

_A thud hit the door at seemingly full speed. A cuss word sounded outside._

**Person Outside the Door--** You can’t get away from me that easily, faire lass! I shall find what is ailing you of your current present condition!

_Sounds like Aeneas._

**Ito--** … he says he can exorcise my kinks away. Better than Adrienne saying I’m going to hell, but still, just as weird.

_Not going to ask what kinks are-- wait, why would she go to Hell in the first place?_

**Atka--** [murmur]… what you even be going to hell for… 

_She looked over at me strangely._

**Z--** … how weak is your gaydar.

 **Atka--** My what now?

 **Ito--** I’m a lesbian. I like women.

 **Z--** I’m ace, and I still saw that.

_**I am so confused.** _

_I hold a finger up, and Z rolls his eye._

**Z--** Ace means asexual. Asexual is a lack of sexual attraction and for the last time, it is not the same thing as aromantic.

 **Ito--** Does he need a crash course in sexualities or something?

 **Atka--** … what’s a sexualities?

_Ito pinches the bridge of her nose, and Z clapped his hands to his head._

_A brief debriefing later, I now understood why everyone hated Adrienne so much. Of course, I had heard some stories of discrimination from online sources, but damn._

_We had now shifted to sitting in one of the booths, Ito joining us after Aeneas eventually gave up._

**Ito--** And that’s not even covering gender identities, the lesser known sexual orientations, or romantic attraction! There’s really a lot to cover here.

 **Z--** [nods] For instance, there’s demisexual, which is a part of asexuality, but not the same thing. There’s gray-asexual too. Asexuality and Aromantic in themselves are more sliding scales than set in stone.

_I think I actually understand it a bit better now. Especially with the bathrooms._

**Atka--** Y’know, I didn’t completely understand transgender issues before, but at least now I understand how stupid the transgender bathroom issues are. If a woman wants to go to the bathroom, and she has a penis, that doesn’t really matter.

 **Atka--** Versa vice, as--

_They looked at me strangely, stopping me mid-sentence._

**Z--** [brows furrowed] Did… did you just say versa vice?

 **Atka--** Yes? Is that--

_Just then, the TV in the corner of the restaurant flickered to life; a residual static sound started along with it._

****

* * *

****

### A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!

****

_... what?_

_The static rung in my ears as the bruise blue words screeched across the screen. I could see something about the garden bubble flash by, but everything else around me was dulling to monochrome._

Before I could fade into that grayscale oblivion, someone grabbed my shoulder.

I could vaguely feel my eyelids blink open and closed, open and closed, before being semi-forced back into my body by Z.

 **Z--** You good?

_I nod, still not really feeling like myself, but this is normal. It’ll pass in a few minutes._

— —

A few minutes before the announcement, Diamantina had been tending to the vegetables in the garden. She had always liked caring after plants, and a gardening buddy never hurt either.

“Hey, can you please grab the trowel for me?” Diamantina asked her partner, accented voice gliding through the air. When she got no response, she looked over to the left, where her partner was sitting previous.

A snap, crackle, and a pop.

— —

_When Atka, Ito, and Z arrived, it was a bloodbath._

_Literally._

_Blood was spurting out of Diamantina’s **neck** , running down to the ground and throughout her clothing. She was slumped over, back to the ground, knees tucked under her body. There was a **bloody shovel** in her hand, but judging by the way her neck was bending, this wasn’t a suicide._

_Meanwhile, someone else was slumped by the shed in the corner. Sh-- they looked to be in stable condition, no blood on their clothes or anything._

_There was a groan from over by the mysterious figure. They seem to have been the one to trigger the body alarm. Behind the trio, footsteps approached._

**Harada--** What happened-- oh! Oh no!

 **Ono--** Oh god, oh god, oh god…

_I turn around and see people in various states of shock. Some not at all._

**Tsukuda--** Man, am I fuckin’ glad that I have first aid experience.

 **Ji-Yeong--** I’ve seen worse. Namely myself, but I’ve seen worse.

_Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the figure waking up. Now that th-- she wasn’t folded over, I could see it was Des._

**Des--** ...please tell me the body isn’t the-- nope, it is still there. Fuck.

_More people were arriving, and soon, all but three of us weren’t there. Achille, Xavior, and Yukimura._

_Guess we have to investigate, huh?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooooOOOOOOOOOOOO
> 
> feedback is always appreciated!! and i apologize for the wonky formatting at some parts, this chapter vibe checked me editing it, so i. ugh.


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